The 2021 Met Gala is special for countless reasons, but one game changer this year is the age of the co-hosts: The foursome at the helm are the youngest in history.
Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, Grammy winner Billie Eilish, tennis star Naomi Osaka and groundbreaking poet Amanda Gorman have all been tapped as the official co-chairs for the sartorial celebration on Monday, Sept. 13 (with designer and director Tom Ford, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour serving as honorary chairs).
With their awe-inspiring careers and individualistic fashion sense, the four stars have truly become some of the biggest influencers of their generation—both in and out of the fashion world.
"Each of the Met's four cohosts embodies the defining factor of American style: individualism," Vogue explained in its May announcement. "They may approach the concept differently, but their shared passion for expressing themselves through clothing connects with the exhibition's theme."
The theme for this year's star-studded evening revolves around the opening of the new Met exhibit "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" in the Anna Wintour Costume Center. According to the official release, attendees can expect to tour a fictional American house, with each room featuring examples of both 20th- and 21st-century fashion that will honor "the customs and behaviors of the imagined occupants" and focus on a different emotion.
"Chalamet, Eilish, Osaka, and Gorman have all developed a distinct visual language for their public personae," the Vogue announcement also read. "One that is informed by the legacy of iconic fashion made in the USA."
For Timothée, 25, this year's honor comes naturally, considering Vogue named him the most influential man in fashion in 2019 and credited him at the time for continuing "to ply the boundary between traditional masculinity and femininity." In its May announcement, the publication also listed his "unexpected mix of streetwear, lack of a stylist, and embrace of avant-garde labels" as the things that "set him apart from his peers."
Likewise, someone who has strived to stand out from her peers—which in the process caused her to become highly influential—is Billie. Largely known for her streetwear style—baggy clothing, cute accessories including her bucket hats, and much-modeled-after hair styles, the vocalist, 19, explained in a 2017 interview with Paper Magazine that when it come to her fashion choices, she aims to "look memorable." Vogue also pointed out earlier this year that her "willingness to embrace an aesthetic as innovative as her music" has helped to "push emerging brands into the limelight and challenged old rules about how a pop star should dress."
Tennis star Naomi has cemented her legacy as a brave boundary breaker, both on and off the court. Earlier this year, the athlete, 23, made headlines after she was fined $15,000 for skipping her French Open news conference, citing mental health concerns. The sports star has become a force to be reckoned with in multiple arenas, including the fashion world. Vogue has credited her striking wardrobe with "turning her into a designer's muse" and called her "one of the best-dressed athletes around."
And although Amanda—the 23-year-old poet who captivated the nation when she became the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration in United States history—is the newcomer of the group, her impact and cred measures up to her game-changing peers. Even years before gracing the podium in January, the best-selling author was selected as one of Glamour Magazine's 2018 "College Women of the Year," which speaks to her long-standing influential presence. And as Vogue put it, although her time in the spotlight has been short, "she's cultivated a look powerful enough to match her words."
With this year's honor, these four powerful figures undoubtedly mark the official acceptance of a younger generation influencing the worlds both inside and outside fashion.